Britain's Aid to Greece
The amount of the military help which Britain is giving to Greece has not been fully divulged. In addition to successful fleet actions in the Mediterranean we know that the R.A.F., operating from Greek bases, has given direct help without which the Greek victories could not have been won ; that the British have taken over the main defence of the vital strategic island of Crete ; and that they have been pouring military equipment into Greece. There are some critics who are urging the despatch of a full expeditionary force which, in conjunction with the Greek Army, should be able to make sure of ejecting the Italians from Albania before Germany could give effective help. The rightness or wrongness of such a move depends on factors which are not known to us—namely, the general plan of campaign for the whole Near and Middle East. If, for example, we are likely to be heavily engaged in the neighbourhood of Libya, by fighting the Italians there we should be indirectly helping the Greeks in Albania. On the other hand, if by attacking in Albania we compelled the Italians to concentrate energy on the defence of their positions there, we should also indirectly relieve our Libyan front. No observer uninformed about the British and Italian preparations can give useful advice as to where or how the Italians should first be attacked. But what we do know is that the Italians have involved themselves in new commitments far beyond anything they anticipated, and that they have presented us with an opportunity which must not be neglected for dealing them heavy blows. It must be remembered that if we are helping the Greeks, the Greeks are also helping us. The Allied Front is one and indivisible.
